Rachel’s Food Tourism: Cut Shop

My husband and I recently tried out a new restaurant in Woodinville called Cut Shop. I felt pretty cool because we went on the day it opened (I even got on “the list” ahead of time!). If you’re at all familiar with Woodinville, the Cut Shop has replaced what used to be McCorry’s on the Slough. I never went to the previous restaurant, but this new place seems like a welcome change to the neighborhood! We’d been noticing every time we drove by (we only live 2 minutes away!) the improvements the owners were making, so we were really excited when it finally opened.

Now that we have our Little Cupcake our date nights are even more precious since they involve more planning. We are fortunate to have parents that are chomping at the bit to watch her. My parents were nice enough to come over and take care of our Little Cupcake while we went out for dinner. While they insist they love doing it, we are still incredibly grateful for them. To have so much support so close has been wonderful!

One of the things I noticed right away when we stepped inside, and honestly one of my favorite things about the place, is that the owners clearly have a sense of humor. Everywhere we looked there were humorous signs and right inside the front door you’ll find “Windy”. Windy is a clown in a case whose mouth is tied to a helium tank to blow up balloons for the kids.

Windy the clown

Speaking of kids, the Cut Shop is family-friendly and that was apparent right away. I saw several families with kids at other tables and the kid menu had a note to the kids asking for feedback. It’s not often kids are treated as individuals with opinions, so I thought that was really cool. I also appreciated that the kids menu had really tasty looking items on it (chicken and dumplings and a grilled cheese with several kinds of cheese on it, to name a few).

A note for the kiddos!

The Cut Shop also has events in the works, according to the menu, like movie nights and brunch (we’ll be checking that out as soon as it’s available!). It’s also offering a late night menu, which is pretty exciting because there aren’t many places near us that have that (I mean, I am an old lady and the likelihood of me being out at 11:00 to enjoy a late night menu is slim, but still…I like that I have the option now, lol). The menu isn’t huge, but had plenty of variety in what was offered. I have to say, also, that a restaurant with a gigantic menu always makes me nervous….how can it make all of those items well, ya know?

The only way I can think to describe the vibe and decor of the Cut Shop is to say it’s like a modern 70s steakhouse. I know that’s a contradiction in terms, but that’s what it felt like. There were lots of oranges and golds (including a sparkly gold wall in the ladies room, so fun!) and lots of wood everywhere. The staff was dressed in what I would call western wear. There’s a bar and then three main areas in the restaurant, along with an outdoor area. One of the sections has booths on one side and an entertainment center with a big tv on the other. It’s almost like a living room. I’m betting that’s where the movie nights will be. Another section has several long tables, perfect if you’re with a large group. The ambience of the restaurant is slightly strange for a family place. The lighting was low and it got pretty loud (man I sound like such an old lady!), so I am curious to see what the atmosphere will be like when brunch is offered. I suppose the low lighting contributes to the 70s vibe and it didn’t bother me enough to impact my dinner.

living room area

Ok, so let’s get to what we actually ate (and drank!). We started with cocktails…it seemed only right to get the full experience. 😉 I got one called Your Mom’s Favorite Drink that had grapefruit juice, vanilla simple syrup, champagne, and egg white. I was expecting it to be a little frothier with that egg white, but the flavor was good. I’m also going to cut them some slack since it was the first night. Derek got the Oaxacan Love Train that had tequila, lemon, agave syrup, bitters, and also an egg white (same froth issue, but oh well). His had a smoky flavor that I really enjoyed. The drinks were not cheap, each of ours were $12. However, I feel like that’s becoming the standard these days. There were several other cocktails I’d like to try next time. I love that they have a Harvey Wallbanger (you guys know how I enjoy those) on the menu! I feel like it speaks to the retro vibe this restaurant is going for.

A majority of the wine list was made up of wines from Woodinville which I liked, and it spoke to the restaurant’s commitment to source locally whenever possible. Most of those wineries are just down the road from the Cut Shop!

A commitment to local ingredients we saw right away on the menu!

To start our meal we ordered the Pimento Cheese and NW Harvest Salad. We wanted to get the Jalapeño Hush Puppies but they were already sold out. You better believe next time we’ll be getting those! The Pimento Cheese was served with house made crackers that were nice and crispy with a cheesy flavor. The spread had some kick and was rich and creamy. The NW Harvest Salad had greens with fresh pear, hazelnuts, dried currants, and a Greek Goddess dressing. I felt like there could’ve been more dressing (I’m just being nit picky) but I liked the flavor. If I was coming here for lunch, I’d be tempted to get this salad with chicken or a poached egg on top for a full meal.

Pimento Cheese with crackers

NW Harvest Salad

For dinner I ordered the Road House Steak and Derek went all in and ordered the bone-in ribeye. I say this because it was a 40-ounce (yes 40!) steak! When we looked at the menu online ahead of time we both assumed it was a type-o…nope. This was a big splurge we wouldn’t ordinarily go for, but with a name like “Cut Shop”, Derek felt like it was a good way to put the restaurant through its paces. It turned out that Derek was the first person who ever ordered it, so a couple of the waiters and the manager came by to make sure it worked out. My Road house Steak was a 12-ounce sirloin served with perfectly cooked carrots and fries. The steak was cooked just as I requested, medium, and everything was well seasoned. In the future, I’d probably prefer a bigger plate since everything was crammed on there. However, that’s a pretty small complaint. Derek’s steak was impressive, to say the least. It came with a bunch of mushrooms and was topped with truffle butter. Derek actually felt like the foie gras butter was a waste (and probably contributed to the $85 price tag), almost like “gilding the lily” if you will. Other than that, it was an amazing plate of food. The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare all the way through, which we were both really impressed by since it was such a HUGE piece of meat. We were also curious to see how the timing of the meal would work out. Cooking a steak that large takes time (the waiter was kind enough to warn us there was a 30-minute wait time for this steak) and we were wondering if they would factor that in when firing my meal. It turns out they did! Our plates came to the table at the same time and everything was hot. I cannot wait to try more food off this menu after tasting what we have so far.

The service was also fantastic! Even though the restaurant was super busy, our waiter was attentive and none of our orders were messed up. It certainly surpassed my expectations!

So there you have it, the Cut Shop is a great restaurant that I am really pleased to have in the neighborhood so go check it out the next time you’re in Woodinville! We certainly plan on becoming regulars.